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TNF 11/14/07 - Anti-gestalt training
Summary: Tonight on Tuesday Night Fights - Possibly the only actual training session during Autobot Training week of 2028, but what the 'Bots lacked in quantity they made up for with quality! This could have been especially meaningful as soon afterwards the Bots participated in the historic Battle of 5 Combiners in Paris (read it here - Log: Epic Paris G-Battle) ---- AC Training Chamber This stark, spacious chamber is well reinforced and shielded to stand up to the strain of many practice bouts. A gleaming training drone stands in one corner of the room, ready for work. The walls are sheathed in reflective alloys, allowing the combatants to observe their motions and progress. Durango looks around at all who've gathered... not a bad turnout for such an ill-advertised seminar..and some big names, too! Now the trick was to not let rank or prestige get the better of him, and remind himself that even he has something worth teaching others... "G'day mates! Welcome teh the seminah!" He begins reading from his datapad. "Oveh the yeahs, it's come teh mah attention that we all too often fight ouah battles in remote, outta the way places, like small towns, railroad cuts, fahms, an' otha scenariahs. It does come teh pass, 'owevah, that now an' then, we ah fohced teh fight in theh cities..an' not the sprawlin' cities of Cybehtron, but theh cramped cities of Eahth. Today's class, paht of a series on Uhban and Rural Suhvival, 'en, will focus on battlin' inside these cities, and 'ow to suhvive if one finds ones' self trapped in said envihronment. Ah'll give us all a moment to go around the room and intrehduce oahselves, an' ask any questions yeh might 'ave befoah we bigin." "My name is Arcee," Arcee begins, humbly enough, raising one hand. "I came to Earth in the Year Two Thousand and Five with Hot Rod and I really like it! The humans are... well, sometimes they have a hard time, because they're so short-lived and there are so many of them on one small planet, but under it all they're usually very nice and gentle people. And the terrain and other life forms are so colorful and beautiful and diverse!" She remembers she's supposed to be talking about herself. "Oh, and, ah. I turn into a car, like most folks, and I have a pair of guns that fire accelerated protons." She puts her hand down and steps back again, glancing around hopefully. Kup continues to lean against the wall, arms folded in front of his chest. He doesn't say anything as he glances around. "Let me see if I got this right..Springer, Arcee, Grimlock.." he turns to Durango, "Durango," and then back to Quitckswitch, "And that mech that can transform into just about anything except an assassin, Quickswitch." he nods, "Got it." Springer grins briefly. "I don't have any questions. But I have been looking forward to this whole training week. It's always nice to compare notes with other warriors, and pick up a few pointers. Looks like we've got quite a wide range of talents and experiences here." He gestures at all of the Autobots except for Kup. "We're the talent, and he's the experience." "Me Grimlock," Grimlock says, rather plainly, nodding his head. He adds, "Me Grimlock in charge of this outfit. Me Grimlock expert in fighting anywhere!" He gives a skeptical look around. "But me Grimlock not so sure about the rest of you." He folds his claws over his chest. Durango nods to each in turn. "Wehlcome one an' all..commandehs an' compatriots aliyk. Now...obsehve!" He pushes a button on the data pad, and the room becomes Crystal City's main thoroughfare. "This is the kinda city most of us ah used'teh...big, sprawlin'...plenty ah'room...walk around feh a sec!" He begins to wander the street for a moment, urging others to do the same. "Now...'eah's what we got 'eah on Eahth..." He pushes another button, and the streets and buildings shrink into New York City, without regard for where the mechs in the room might end up inside the new scenario..inside buildings, on top of fire hydrants, you name it..."This, is New Yoahk Citeh..now, if yeh'll all come oveh 'eah teh the intehsection..." Durango walks into the middle of a four-way intersection; the city, for now, is lifeless. "We'll staht off with a question an' answeh session..." Quickswitch finds himself moving from one moment to another, first with a slightly 'full of it' look to the old codger, arms folded defiantly over the expanse of his chest. There was call for that, too, and though he'd as much not say so. A nod and achuckle to Springer, "I'm Quickswitch. I arrived from P-19170167 about three weeks ago, and it's been a hell of a month back. As most ofyou know, I was a guard attheprison there. As most of you don't know, before that, I was one of Impactor's Wreckers--which says all it should have to," he nods again to Kup, giving him a reproaching look, "I'm different than anyone's used to, but you'll get over it." Durango nods to each in turn. "Wehlcome one an' all..commandehs an' compatriots aliyk. Now...obsehve!" He pushes a button on the data pad, and the room becomes Crystal City's main thoroughfare. "This is the kinda city most of us ah used'teh...big, sprawlin'...plenty ah'room...walk around feh a sec!" He begins to wander the street for a moment, urging others to do the same. "Now...'eah's what we got 'eah on Eahth..." He pushes another button, and the streets and buildings shrink into New York City, without regard for where the mechs in the room might end up inside the new scenario..inside buildings, on top of fire hydrants, you name it..."This, is New Yoahk Citeh..now, if yeh'll all come oveh 'eah teh the intehsection..." Durango walks into the middle of a four-way intersection; the city, for now, is lifeless. "We'll staht off with a question an' answeh session..." (repose, for +pot's sake) Arcee carefully hops over a (digital) taxi to join Durango under the hanging lights of the (paused) busy intersection. She's been here before of course, the real place that is, so has no particular questions. Kup shrugs and hopes down from a five story walk up he made comfy to sit on. He walks into the intersection he's got stopped, "Alright, lad - whaddya wanna know?" Grimlock puts his claws on his snout. "Unnnngh... you Durandglow change scenery one more time, me Grimlock get neural nausea..." The dinosaur leans back and forth, trying to recover from the hologram-induced nausea. He manages to follow Durango to the intersection, waiting with as much patience as a Dinobot can muster, though his tail shifts back and forth, occasionally smacking into the paused holocars. Quickswitch walks around the holographic reprisentation of the Transformer-sized city. The simulation reminds the Sixchanger that he ought to either take a trip home or take up residence there permanently once again. When the simulation changes, the bottom half of his form is suddenly obscured by a low building. He.. steps out of it... stepping over cars, onto trucks. The gigantic Sixchanger monster resembles a huge metal Godzilla as he makes his way to Durango, stopping at the cramped intersection. Skids has arrived. Springer emerges from behind a suddenly appearing building, looking it up and down before walking out to join the others. "This is already starting to look like one of our worst-case scenarios. Half of these buildings, and nearly any of the cars or people would get crushed just in the crossfire or from stray shots. Not to mention if the Decepticons actively targeted them." Durango begins to hand out datapads to all assembled. "Now, I'm gonna ask a series of questions, an' I want yeh teh write down yeh answehs on these...aftehwahds, we'll go in ohdeh, and list off yeh answehs..don' worreh, theah' no grades 'eah..." He smiles, almost evilly. "Now, readeh? Question one! Look around this intehsection..imahgine yeh in the citeh, and low on fuel, an' yeh only got enough enehgon to make it to one cohnah of this intehsection..which one ah yeh goin to? On this cohneh, we 'ave what the humans call a Donut Shop. On this cohneh, a "basketball" coaht. On this cohneh, a gas station, an' on this cohneh, a 'ospital. Mahk yeh answehs." He waits a few moments. "Now, question two.." As he talks, he motions behind the four original buildings, to four buildings towering beind them. "Let's say yeh 'ave teh take covah from a stampeding lot of Cons. Which buildin' would yeh 'ide in oah be'ind?" He points to each corner in turn. "A school feh human children. A gas station. A waeah'ouse. A supehmahket." He waits a few moments... "Thihd and final question...yeh 'ave teh improvise a weapon teh bring down a Con...what weapon do yeh choose?" He points to each object in turn. "A bus full'a humans? A mailbox? This McDonahld's signpost? A small kitteh?" He waits a few moments, and then looks out. "Alright, one at a time, let's heah yeh answehs. I'll respond afteh everyone's gone." Springer takes the pad but doesn't even look at it. "Let's see...for energy I'd try the gas station. Unless any Decepticons are neaby, in that case I'd be a sitting duck because gasoline is highly explosive. Maybe I'd head for the basketball court and challenge them to a game of hoops instead." He smirks. "My vertical has gotta be seen to be believed. For a hiding spot, I guess my best bet would be the warehouse. Unless they were Protectorate schoolchildren." He smirks again, then pauses to think. "Although, knowing them, they might attack me too...and for the weapon, I'd choose the signpost, and introduce those lousy Decepticons to some Golden aft-kicking!" Arcee's small white tonguetip appears at the corner of her mouth as she concentrates on her answer, writing in a precise, slightly curliqued Cybertronian script. Kup has finished filling his datapad out and is waiting there, leaning against one of the buildings, holding said datapad in his arms crossed in front of his chest. When Springer gives his answers, he doesn't say anything. It's not rocket science here. That's two floors up in the lab with Perceptor. Grimlock takes the datapad hesitantly. One might imagine that if robot dinosaurs could sweat, he would be right now. "Unngh... test..." He says, looking at the datapad as if the characters appearing on the display were written in an ancient Moon Man language. He tries touching his claw to the answer keys, resulting in a long, angry beep from the datapad. "ERROR, ERROR," it announces. He starts to growl with annoyance. "You make me look stupid!" He shouts at the inanimate object, hurling it to the street between his feet, causing it to explode in a small fireball, Aqua Teen Hunger Force-style. "Uhh..." He looks back up to Durango. "What were question again, Durandglow?" Quickswitch glances over the pad, snickering almost uncontrollably as he types in his answers--" Durango's accent is difficult to understand, maybe three in five words is understood, but he's getting it. His answers input, the laughing Sixchanger suddenly stops laughing and waits for Durango, pad in hand. Skids enters a little late, as usual, but manages not to bump into anything on the way in. He becomes distracted by the grand display, and has to be nudged two or three times by his neighbour before he notices the datapad, takes it, and listens to the instructions. He begins ticking off answers and writing down his reponses in a terse shorthand. After a few moments, he looks up, cocking his head as Springer answers. "My answers are different," he notes. He makes no move to continue his sentence until he notices the staring, at which point he coughs in an embarrassed manner and begins. "Well, as I am a theoretician and this is an exercise in... theory..." he coughs again. "I suppose I should be... the most qualified... to deal with this... did you get a new paint job, Kup?" He's staring at the old Autobot with a look of confused intensity. "I... what were we doing here? Oh right. Questions." He looks at his pad. "I, uh. Well, I suppose I would... I would go to the hospital because... they might need help, theoretically, and, uh, a helpful human could probably bring me fuel from across the street anyway, uhm." He pauses for a long, long moment, just staring at the "sky." "I, uhm, would hide behind the gas station because uhm, theoretically I could... could set up an, you know, the thing where you surprise th--ambush! Yes. I could set up an ambush. Theoretically. And I would use the mailbox as a weapon because junk mail is the ultimate annoyance." "I put down the donut shop," Arcee explains, "because it has few inhabitants, and all of them are mobile so they can escape quickly, but it still provides some cover, unlike the basketball court." She taps the end of her stylus against her teeth. "Secondly, I'd use the warehouse because it has a lot of dense cover inside and again, few to no civilians. Finally, I'd use the signpost. You could use it to knock them down, swing it at them, stab them with the sharp end, and so on." She looks over at Skids, smiling indulgently. Oh, Skids. Oh, Skids?! Jees, like Springer -and- Rodimus weren't enough! But this would have to be a question for another time. Durango looks over his class as they spout off their answers, remain silent, or wilfully destroy holographic datapads. Ah well...CO's ship, CO's rules, eh? "Ahright..let's try each of 'ese in tuhn, eh? Question one...the donut shop, while relativeleh unin'abited, is usually filled with the humans least likeleh to be able teh run fehr it..theh 'ospital, while indeed a place of people 'ho need help, is realleh no use teh us as mechs, the basketball coaht, while fun..is also useless...the correct answeh is the Gas Station...we can, as long as yeh've'ad the right convehteh installed...Quickswitch, I'd talk teh medops about this...we can use terran fuel, although it's at a much reduced rate of effectiveness..the gas station, 'en, will get yeh refueled, and as a bonus, usualleh 'as 'umans skilled in theh ahts of repairin'. "Next question...A school is full'a human minibots, 'ho can't defend themselhves...a gas station, while bein a good spot teh refuel, is also a giant bomb waitin' teh be spahked...a supehmahket is ...well, just silleh, rahehly lahge enough teh hold one of us, an' usualleh full of all kinds of humans. A wahehouse, on theh otheh hand, is usually spahsely populated, lahge enough feh us teh fit in, full of divehsions an' blockades, and things we can use feh weapons...which leads to question three..." "Now...a bus full'a humans is jus' bad policy. As is a kitteh..it's riyt useless. A mailbox, while temptin, is ratheh small, an' a one-shot deal. This signpost, 'owevah...is lahge, strong, an reuseable...the most effective weapon in range." He looks over his class. "Ah theah any questions befoah we move on teh the tactile pohtion of ouah class?" "For the first scenario, I'd head to the gas station. The average human won't know what to do, and a gas station has fuel. If it blows up, count it collateral damage," he explains his line of reasoning, as he speaks, he begins laughing again, "The second question doesn't even--they'd be hiding from /me/ not the other way around, and they'd probably head to where the most humans were, use them as living shields and bargaining pieces--the school. As for the third--" once again, he finds this very funny, "I wouldn't need to improvise a weapon. But I'd show them a kitten, or that mailbox, maybe that bus full of humans--while they were wondering what in Primus' name I was doing, I'd take care of them fast myself." Kup shrugs, handing the datapad back to Durango. "Well, the thing is this about urban combat - the environment is constantly changing. You're dealing with civillians no matter where you're at. So the answers for how things are paused, just as they are - are gas station, warehouse, and signpost." Skids raises a hand, almost timidly. "Er, Durango. If I may. The tactile portion is..." he looks a little uncertain. "Uhm, well, you see. I'm not, uh, built for /combat/, as such." He looks around, and notices that he is surrounded by people who ARE, in fact, designed for hitting things. Slowly, he lowers his hand, then stares at the ground between his feet. "I don't... I don't want to die," he whispers. Kup pats Skids on the shoulder. "Hide behind me Lucy, I'll protect ya. That's why I get paid the high energon chips." Skids says, "Even Lucy is about a hundred times tougher than Skids." Kup says, "Theoretically." Arcee comforts Skids with a hand on his arm, eyebrows knitting in the universal 'awwww, Skids!' expression. "It'll be all right, Skids, that's why we train!" Kup shakes his head in a stage whisper, "Don't say the word train - he might think of Astrotrain and catch the vapors." Grimlock plants a large clawed foot down on the smoldering pile of circuits on the street between his legs, twisting his foot back and forth. "Uhhhh... Me Grimlock no have question," he says, sheepishly. "Good answer, everybody," he says, trying to be positive. Seeing everyone comforting Skids for being a weakling, he walks over to him, placing his claws on his shoulders and shaking him in what Grimlock assumes is a comforting manner but it is mostly verging on violent. "Me Grimlock no care that you weakling, Skids! This only fake training-ulation!" Skids says, "Hahaha." Quickswitch looks over at the much smaller Skids. The corner of his mouth twitches a little and his brow furrows for a moment but that is all. Springer pounds a fist into the open palm of his other hand. "Well, I'm ready to get to the fun part. How do we want to do this? Split into teams? Every man for himself? Everybody against Grimlock?" Training Drone - AC comes alive with glittering lights as various weapons arm themselves. "Skill level set to gestalt. Prepare for combat." Training Drone - AC has been unfrozen. Durango smiles. "It'll be one team, Springah...against a common foe!" He pushes a button, and all six Constructicons appear behind him. "Now, I'm gonna push a button, an' the city'll come alive, and real, so no 'oppin through buildin's anymoah, aight? Oh...right." He pushes another button, and the six Constructions merge into Bruticus. "Royt. 'at's moah like it. So..ah...wehk togetheh, an' remembah teh use yeh surroundin's, eh?" He takes a moment to power up his own weaponry. "Ah....go!" In a flash, the city comes alive...including Bruticus. "I don't... I don't know if you're quite, uhm, /tall/ enough for me to effectively hide behin-- yes, thank you Arcee, that's very-- ow, oh Primus, ow, Grimlock, sir, you are crushing my shoulder. This is... okay, yes, thank you all for your concern. Okay. Thank you. Sweet Cybertonian Sabermonks, that is Bruticus." Skids freezes for a moment, but quickly snaps out of it as Kup moves into action. "Yes, of course, yes. I will... I will..." he looks around, sees the warehouse, and dives behind it. "I will be HERE, and I will be STRATEGISING!" he calls, waving a hand from behind the warehouse. "Just... I need a minute to, uh, charge up my..." he stares down at his wrists, trying in vain to remember which loud shiny thing is which, but gives up quickly. "My WEAPONS. They need to CHARGE." Kup blinks as the Constructicons merge into Bruticus. "Well, that's something ya never see everyday." he looks around quick, taking his surroundings into account. Taking the McDonald's Signpost well in hand, he moves to whack the big lug in the ribs with the golden arches. He deserves a break today. Or two. Kup strikes Training Drone - AC with blow. Training Drone - AC emits, "2 points of damage done." Springer stares for just a moment after Durango says 'go', then he smiles grimly and leaps into the air. At the apex of his jump he starts a backflip, but then he transforms halfway through the motion, ending up in helicopter mode, rising into the air. "I'll gonna try and draw it's fire away from the city structures!" He rises above the line of buildings before opening up with a pair of chainguns mounted in his wings. Springer shifts quickly into his helicopter mode. You strike Training Drone - AC with chaingun. Training Drone - AC emits, "1 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes you with G_Kick for 15 points of damage. Green Cyber-Copter nearly gets slammed out of the sky. "See what I mean!!" he crows, "Zero damage to the buildings...unnh..." He starts trailing smoke and sinking down out of view behind a row of buildings. Skids says, "I can, uhm, stun the... no, it doesn't work that way with combiners does it?" Kup says, "Stun it, Skids!" Springer groans, "At least stun it's foot!" Skids says, "Oh, o-ok, I will... I will try to stun... Bruticus..." "But why did the Constructicons become Brut-" protests Arcee before Springer sails past overhead, almost clipping her as he gets knocked for a loop by the gestalt. No time to ask now! She reaches down, both pistols snapping out of their hidden panels in her thighs and ejecting into her hands, and sprints towards the nearest cover, firing rapidly at the giant! Arcee strikes Training Drone - AC with Proton Pistol (double tap). Training Drone - AC emits, "1 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Arcee with G_Blow. "Skids, Arcee, why don't you pretend there are little holographic humans here and get them away?" Quickswitch springs to life, shifting forms into a puma and leaping into the air with a burst of thrusters, he gains some altitude and shifts form a second time into a long form of a jet (assuming one can fit in this room!), he turns, gaining momentum, enough to rise above the monster gestalt and fires down on it Accelerated, Quickswitch transforms into a sub-orbital jet. Quickswitch strikes Training Drone - AC with Photon Blaster. Training Drone - AC emits, "2 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC misses Sub-Orbital Jet with its G_Blow attack. Kup flips the signpost around in his hands like a polearm, considering either end just as useful. As he tries to provide a distraction from the beast. He uses the ugly end of the golden arches and from hell's heart stabs at Thee! Kup strikes Training Drone - AC with blow. Training Drone - AC emits, "2 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC misses Kup with its G_Blow attack. Durango runs behind a nearby warehouse, as he tries to figure out why the Constructicons just became...Bruticus. "Ah, 'ell with it." He runs back out into the open, and starts shooting at the the thing with all that he's got. He's not taking too much of an active role..instead, he's watching the others, seeing how they react, and how they can be improved. Durango strikes Training Drone - AC with Canberra Cannon :(Heavy on the Starch): Setting. Training Drone - AC emits, "10 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Durango with G_Cannon. Durango falls to the ground unconscious. Training Drone - AC hovers over to Durango and revives him with a quick zap of energy. "You require additional training to defeat this unit at this skill level." Durango says, "HA." Sub-Orbital Jet banks out of the way of the brute's mighty fist, shifting in form to a puma and rolling and over end and to the side as he twists out of the way. Faster than the eye can follow, Quickswitch transforms into a mecha-puma. Springer shifts quickly into his racecar mode. Green Cyber-Car transforms into his ground mode just before touching the ground. "Nice shot Durango! I think it felt that one!..." He watches the drone blast Durango. "Well...maybe." Springer's tires squeal before they gain purchase and send him streaking down the street. Springer uses the long approach to build up speed and momentum, angling himself straight at one of the giant feet. You strike Training Drone - AC with ram. Training Drone - AC emits, "11 points of damage done." You evade Training Drone - AC's G_Kick attack. "Okay, uhm, I am going to try to stun him now," Skids offers, from behind the warehouse. "So uh, someone please use a really powerful attack on him after that because otherwise if you just like kick him it will be kind of a waste and... uhm." He stands up, raising his stunner and taking careful aim at the combiner, which Kup has so helpfully distracted. "I do not feel comfortable shooting someone in the back," he mutters. "Even theoretically. But here goes." He steadies the gun and does his best LAPD impression. "FREEZE! This is the Space Police!" And off goes the stunning shot. Skids strikes Training Drone - AC with his Special attack. Arcee scowls at Quickswitch's suggestion. "I'll thank you not to patronize me!" she replies, picking herself back up from the virtual wreckage of a Blimpie's. She dives behind an empty taxicab and comes up on one knee, aiming high. Arcee strikes Training Drone - AC with Proton Pistol (headshot). Training Drone - AC emits, "6 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC misses Arcee with its G_Punch attack. Kup does a tuck and roll, evading the blow that would've pummeled him. He springs up from his summersault - and turns around. He charges up to the Bruticus and unsheathes his energy axe. He starts chugging away at the right leg of the Gestalt. He doesn't speak - no time! Kup strikes Training Drone - AC with energy_axe. Training Drone - AC emits, "10 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Kup with G_Kick. Durango takes one for the team...no, make that, Durango takes it /all/ for the team. Ah well. From his landing zone, he calls out. "Keep fightin'! Lemme see what yeh've leahned!" He sits out the rest of the battle, even holographic cannoning hurts. Arcee leaps out from behind the taxicab as an enormous grey fist pulverizes it, running nimbly up the arm to the narrowest point, the joint of the shoulder where the gestalt members' little square heads plug into the body. She can do marginally more damage here with a precise strike... Arcee strikes Training Drone - AC with Crystalocution. Training Drone - AC emits, "2 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC misses Arcee with its G_Punch attack. Green Cyber-Car scoots out from under the drone just before the kick can catch him. He skids to a stop, then turns and drives back. This time he switches to robot mode as he approaches, letting himself fall smoothly into a run. Springer reaches behind his back and yanks out his oversized sword as he runs, activating the energy field around it. "Keep on it Kup! Maybe we can at least give it a limp!" Springer shifts quickly into his robot mode. You strike Training Drone - AC with Energy Sword. Training Drone - AC emits, "11 points of damage done." Sometimes very much, sometimes.. not. Quickswitch compresses down into his pistol mode, gathers energy together, feeling it crackling and alive in the body of his chamber. He angles directly toward one of the massive optics, drawing close enough to see himself reflected in it, visualizes the mechanisms that bond the collective minds together, aims, and releases a bright flash of energy from his smoking muzzle. He barely needs to touch the ground at all here. Quickswitch shrinks down into his seriously pistol mode. Quickswitch strikes Training Drone - AC with Photon Blaster . Training Drone - AC emits, "10 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Laser Pistol with G_Blow. Skids stares blankly at the stun gun, then at the combiner, then at the stun gun again. Then he punches his fist in the air. "I did it! I stunned Bruticus! I... oh right, we are still fighting." He ducks back behind the warehouse, trying to puzzle out which arm is which for a moment, before he does what he always does when he's faced with combat: use whichever one will fire. He crawls along behind the walls, then pops up at a different location, just long enough to quickly sight and fire off a blast of the one on his left arm, which turns out to be the one that is not electrical. Then he hides behind the building again and prays that he does not get shot by Bruticus. Skids strikes Training Drone - AC with Disruptor. Training Drone - AC emits, "1 points of damage done." Kup gets knocked back, "Oh, so it's gonna be like that is it?" he mutters, sheathing the axe and pulling his rifle from subspace. It's old, just like Kup - but it works - also, like Kup. He flicks a switch and aims at the Gestalt. "Smile pretty you son of a bitch," he mutters, sending several bursts towards the big lug. Kup strikes Training Drone - AC with repeating. Training Drone - AC emits, "6 points of damage done." "Somehow I am not dead," Skids notes. "I will make sure to celebrate this occasion by perhaps writing a haiku or beating some humans at stratego over the internet again." He rolls out from behind the warehouse, trying to look cool like Captain Kirk or Optimus Prime, but ends up rolling too far and crashing into a virtual tree. The tree creaks, cracks and falls over on the hapless theoretician, who lies pinned until he can get the damned thing off him. "I will just... just lie here for a sec-- oh my, is that the nest of the reclusive blue-spotted tit?" The barrel trembles as the optic shatters, smoke and crackling circuits rising from the crater he made. When the huge fist strikes him, Quickswitch cannot transform fast enough, and his chamber dents under the impact, slamming into one of the buildings. He rises out of it, a huge drill tank puncturing its way through and roaring toward the gigantic gestalt, aiming for one of its feet.... Quickswitch rapidly transforms into a hulking drill tank. Quickswitch says, "remind me to never get hit as a gun." Quickswitch strikes Training Drone - AC with This Ain't No Dentist Drill. Training Drone - AC emits, "1 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Drill Tank with G_Blow. Springer looks from his still-crackling sword up to the giant drone and back at the sword again. He takes a few steps back. "Kup - this isn't working! It's taking our best shots and it still keeps coming!! (kinda like the real Bruticus, huh?) But we've got to try something different...maybe we can lure it into that gas station?!" Springer raises his free hand and a tiny cannon pops out of the forearm, which he aims carefully, drawing a bead on the drone's undamaged eye. You strike Training Drone - AC with pop-up laser. Training Drone - AC emits, "1 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes you with G_Kick for 10 points of damage. Kup nods, "Let's try it lad!" he calls out, flicking the switch back a setting he starts firing shots off at Bruticus, "Hey! Ya dumb bastard!! Right this way! Your waiter will be right with ya!!" he calls out, backing in towards the gas station Kup strikes Training Drone - AC with laser. Training Drone - AC emits, "1 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Kup with G_Blow. Arcee scrambles around on the monster's shoulders as it swats at her, but so far it's not able to connect with her again. "I think if this was a more realistic simulation it would be better to ambush it and skirmish with it from outside its melee range instead of exposing ourselves to its reach!" she calls down. Arcee strikes Training Drone - AC with Proton Pistol (headshot). Training Drone - AC emits, "12 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Arcee with G_Kick. Arcee gets grabbed and drop-kicked into the harbor. "See what I meeeeeeeean" The plot works...Bruticus -- who is still, somehow, made of Constructicons (go figure) -- walks straight into the gas-station trap.. Drill Tank snarls, springing up and transforming into a badly dented puma again, zooming after the huge gestalt monster. He has always been simply for--what did the humans call it--shock and awe, blitzkrieg... his memory banks work, thinking back as he thrusts forward and flies down in front of Bruticus, firing off tail-lasers at him to get him to follow them along. Faster than the eye can follow, Quickswitch transforms into a mecha-puma. Quickswitch strikes Training Drone - AC with Kiss my aft!. Training Drone - AC emits, "3 points of damage done." Training Drone - AC strikes Cyber-Puma with G_Kick. Quickswitch says, "This is funny... I figure Quickswitch has a lot of combat experience and tactics. I OOCly do not!" You say, "Kup...Arcee!!" Springer shouts, watching her go sailing off. When he turns back to the drone, it's already in between Springer and the gas station. Springer grimaces briefly, then crouches down and leaps for the wall of a building next door, flipping over in mid-air so that his feet touch first. Bending his knees to absorb the impact, Springer then launches himself off of the building and straight down to where Kup is in the gas station. He grabs the senior Autobot with both arms and then launches himself in one final jump, this time carrying them both up and away from the gas station. "Somebody light that thing up!!" Kup makes his stand at the gas station, shooting away, explosions and the what not going off around him. "I'mmmmmm tryinnnnnnng!" he shouts, shooting at the beast again! Kup holding for the aussie. :) Springer thinks Skids should do the honors :) Durango was gonna let Skids/Arcee get a pose in if they wanted, before posing the end result. :) Arcee catches one of the supports of the Brooklyn Bridge and hangs onto it, sliding gradually down to the bridge level. "It's okay! It's just virtual anyhow!" she calls back to Springer. Skids says, "No, that's ok." Quickswitch says, "Can I blow it up? ;)" Durango says, "Ok, Quickswitch, I nominate you. Make a pose about things blowing up!" Quickswitch says, "Woohoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" Arcee is too far away to light it on fire. Grimlock has no idea what's going on now, so I'll just watch. :) Kup says, "You whacked the **** out of it with your tail!" The Sixchanger zeros down in on the gas station. A too-rapid repositioning of limbs and parts into the form of a jet once again, eyeing the gas pumps like a calculated connisiour. If there were humans down there, or would be in a real world scenario it was beyond consideration. He brings his weapon systems online, aims and releases a rocket, banking upward sharply as the demon Bruticus closes on his tail, to the sound of loud, digital explosions behind him. He banks back around, to see. Durango has been reset. Durango gently puts Asploding Energon down. Durango completes arming Asploding Energon and sets the timer to go off in 20 minutes. Durango deliberately triggers the detonator on Asploding Energon. -ping- You fortunately evade the bomb blast. Accelerated, Quickswitch transforms into a sub-orbital jet. Arcee has been reset. As the gas station asplodes, taking a good portion of the city block with it,the simulation comes to a screeching halt, leaving everyone standing around the training bay once more. Durango stands in the middle, and waves for everyone to join him. "So...we leahn anythin' about fightin' in the citeh?" He waits. Arcee jogs back from the bridge, holstering her blasters. It's fortunately only about thirty feet away now that the simulation is off. "Don't get close to gestalts!" Quickswitch has been reset. Springer puts two fingers up in the air, half-way raising a hand. "here's almost no way to avoid collateral damage. Our best bet might have been to evacuate first, and start shooting later?" Sub-Orbital Jet heads back to the ground, shifting forms one final time to land with a hard thunk against the ground. The exploding image around him shimmers and disappears--and Quickswitch grimaces as if someone pulled a vital plug, "We should have led it to the gas station right off?" Quickswitch springs up into his massive robot mode. "I have learned that you can stun a combiner," Skids adds, from his position lying on the ground. "Also I have learned that the blue-spotted tit nests in cities now." Durango looks around. "Springah's got the right ideah...citehs mean that theah's a ton'a trouble feh humans..so it's best teh draw the enemeh out....also, don' blow up the gas station, it 'uhts everyone." He pauses. "Uh....class dismissed!" That's all he had, really. Springer says, "That was a lot of fun, nice job all and especially you Durango. :)" Durango says, "Thanks for coming out, folks!" Springer has been reset.